The Los Angeles Lakers win the inaugural NBA Cup! Will it spur them on to championship success?

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers became the first team to win the inaugural NBA Cup, defeating the Indiana Pacers 123-109 in Las Vegas.

Lakers forward Anthony Davis was the star of the show for the historic franchise, putting up a Shaquille O'Neal-like performance, scoring 41 points, grabbing 20 rebounds, and four blocks.

Despite the historic performance from Davis, LeBron James was awarded the tournament MVP award, averaging 26.4 points, eight rebounds, and 7.6 assists across group and knockout play.

'The King' turns 39 at the end of this month, but he has shown no sign of slowing down, scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the Championship game.

Austin Reaves was formidable off the bench for the Lakers, dropping 28 points in 27 minutes, showcasing his ability as the predominant ball handler.

The tournament was a breakout competition for Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, who scored 27 points and 15 assists in the semi-final matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks but only managed 20 against the Lakers in the final.

According to BBC.co.uk, LeBron James said: "Records will be broken, but one thing that will never be broken is being the first to do something."

The Lakers are the first to win the NBA Cup, but will it spur them on to greater success in the future and potentially help them win the NBA Championship in June?

The tournament has helped the Lakers give the young guys a playoff-like experience, with the final bringing a game-seven type of energy as it was a winner-takes-all situation.

Coach Darvin Ham will have taken some much-needed takeaways from the semi-final and final in finding out which players can perform under pressure in clutch-time moments.

The NBA Cup has given LeBron James a new lease of life this season, with the 38-year-old proving that he is still an MVP-caliber player, being a front-runner for the award.

The early title push in December looks to have given 'The King' an early in-season test to see if he can still perform under the most intense scrutiny and pressure, and he's passed with flying colors.

James has averaged 25 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 6.6 assists so far this season, but he may take his foot off the pedal as Anthony Davis starts to look like the best player in the NBA.

The tournament looks to have given Anthony Davis the momentum to be successful this season as he looked like the Anthony Davis of 2020 that won the NBA Championship in the bubble in Orlando.

Davis has been known to go missing in games in recent years, but his historic performance on Saturday night showed the basketball world that Davis and James can still turn it on in pressure situations.

The NBA Cup has been a dress rehearsal for the playoffs, and the Lakers winning this Cup will give them the confidence they are prepared to challenge when Playoff time comes in May.

According to nba.com, James said: "We want to put it in perspective that it's still December. We like where we are right now, but we want to continue to work on our habits and continue to get healthy as well."